Scanning electron microscopy,cathodoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy of experimentally shock‐metamorphosed quartzite

Abstract— We studied unshocked and experimentally (at 12, 25, and 28 GPa, with 25, 100, 450, and 750°C pre‐shock temperatures) shock‐metamorphosed Hospital Hill quartzite from South Africa using cathodoluminescence (CL) images and spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to document systematic pressure or temperature‐related effects that could be used in shock barometry. In general, CL images of all samples show CL‐bright luminescent patchy areas and bands in otherwise nonluminescent quartz, as well as CL‐dark irregular fractures. Fluid inclusions appear dominant in CL images of the 25 GPa sample shocked at 750°C and of the 28 GPa sample shocked at 450°C. Only the optical image of our 28 GPa sample shocked at 25°C exhibits distinct planar deformation features (PDFs). Cathodoluminescence spectra of unshocked and experimentally shocked samples show broad bands in the near‐ultraviolet range and the visible light range at all shock stages, indicating the presence of defect centers on, e.g., SiO₄ groups. No systematic change in the appearance of the CL images was obvious, but the CL spectra do show changes between the shock stages. The Raman spectra are characteristic for quartz in the unshocked and 12 GPa samples. In the 25 and 28 GPa samples, broad bands indicate the presence of glassy SiO₂, while high‐pressure polymorphs are not detected. Apparently, some of the CL and Raman spectral properties can be used in shock barometry.     

Paleoenvironment and sea-level change in the early Cretaceous Barents Sea—implications from near-shore marine sapropels

The late Volgian (early "Boreal" Berriasian) sapropels of the Hekkingen Formation of the central Barents Sea show total organic carbon (TOC) contents from 3 to 36 wt%. The relationship between TOC content and sedimentation rate (SR), and the high Mo/Al ratios indicate deposition under oxygen-free bottom-water conditions, and suggest that preservation under anoxic conditions has largely contributed to the high accumulation of organic carbon. Hydrogen index values obtained from Rock-Eval pyrolysis are exceptionally high, and the organic matter is characterized by well-preserved type II kerogen. However, the occurrence of spores, freshwater algae, coal fragments, and charred land-plant remains strongly suggests proximity to land. Short-term oscillations, probably reflecting Milankovitch-type cyclicity, are superimposed on the long-term trend of constantly changing depositional conditions during most of the late Volgian. Progressively smaller amounts of terrestrial organic matter and larger amounts of marine organic matter upwards in the core section may have been caused by a continuous sea-level rise.     

Chalk shore platform erosion in the vicinity of sea defence structures and the impact of construction methods

Erosion of the intertidal chalk platform in the vicinity of groynes and seawalls is evident to the naked eye along many stretches of the engineered coastline of southeast England, leading to undermining and eventually failure of these structures. However, quantification of the magnitude and spatial extent of the erosion has been difficult to date because of a lack of data about the past elevation of the platform. The application of softcopy photogrammetry makes it possible to recreate past platform elevations from historic air photographs and to compare these with elevations from modern air photographs. Coastal sea defence structures have been installed along the chalk coast east of Brighton at various dates over the past 70 years. During this period, the construction methods have changed from predominantly manual labour to a reliance on heavy machines. The analysis of erosion patterns around structures built since the 1970s using heavy machinery show that surface lowering is 4 to 25 times greater in the vicinity of these structures than across the platform as a whole. In contrast, there is no similar pattern of increased erosion around structures built using predominantly manual labour in the 1930s. A four fold increase in average surface lowering is found also along a vehicle trackway that crosses the mid platform. Depressions developed by enhanced lowering in the front of seawalls generate their own dynamic of increased erosion by trapping pebbles and cobbles that enhance the abrasion of the chalk through bedload transport under standing waves in front of the walls.     

Observations of the Labrador Sea eddy field

This paper is an observational study of small-scale coherent eddies in the Labrador Sea, a region of dense water formation thought to be of considerable importance to the North Atlantic overturning circulation. Numerical studies of deep convection emphasize coherent eddies as a mechanism for the lateral transport of heat, yet their small size has hindered observational progress. A large part of this paper is therefore devoted to developing new methods for identifying and describing coherent eddies in two observational platforms, current meter moorings and satellite altimetry. Details of the current and water mass structure of individual eddy events, as they are swept past by an advecting flow, can then be extracted from the mooring data. A transition is seen during mid-1997, with long-lived boundary current eddies dominating the central Labrador Sea year-round after this time, and convectively formed eddies similar to those seen in deep convection modeling studies apparent prior to this time. The TOPEX / Poseidon altimeter covers the Labrador Sea with a loose “net” of observations, through which coherent eddies can seem to appear and disappear. By concentrating on locating and describing anomalous events in individual altimeter tracks, a portrait of the spatial and temporal variability of the underlying eddy field can be constructed. The altimeter results reveal an annual “pulsation” of energy and of coherent eddies originating during the late fall at a particular location in the boundary current, pinpointing the time and place of the boundary current-type eddy formation. The interannual variability seen at the mooring is reproduced, but the mooring site is found to be within a localized region of greatly enhanced eddy activity. Notably lacking in both the annual cycle and interannual variability is a clear relationship between the eddies or eddy energy and the intensity of wintertime cooling. These eddy observations, as well as hydrographic evidence, suggest an active role for boundary current dynamics in shaping the energetics and water mass properties of the interior region.     

Remote spectroscopic identification of carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies: Applications to Ceres and Pallas

High-resolution spectroscopic observations of asteroids Ceres and Pallas have been obtained in the 1.0- to 2.6-μm region. Combined with previous spectralmeasurements at other wavelengths, this work presents the broadband spectral reflectances of these asteroids over the 0.4 to 3.6-um region. This extended coverage permits new analyses of the surface mineralogies of these objects. Using laboratory comparison spectra of meteorites and mixtures of terrestrial minerals, the surfaces of Ceres and Pallas are consistent with mixtures of opaques and hydrated silicates, such as are found in types C1 and C2 meteorites. This research emphasizes the importance of the 3-um spectral region for studying by remote methods the relationship of carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies to asteroid surfaces.     

Crustal structure of the Rhenish Massif: results of deep seismic reflection lines Dekorp 2-North and 2-North-Q

The reflection seismic line DEKORP 2-N reveals an almost complete cross section through the Rhenohercynian Zone, the most external part of the Variscan orogen in Europe.The northern part of DEKORP 2-N and a NE-directed branch (2-N-Q) reveal the Cretaceous of the Münsterland basin and the underlying folded Palaeozoic rocks. The northward decreasing intensity of folding is depicted in great detail by the highly reflective Late Carboniferous coal-measures and deeper reflections down to the level of the Givetian/Frasnian shallow-water carbonates.In the Devonian and older rocks of the Rhenish Massif, bedding is only represented by relatively weak, short and irregular reflections. These are truncated by stronger, southward dipping reflections, which exhibit the listric curvature and flat/ramp geometry characteristic of faults. In the northern part of the section, the thrusts appear to be blind. From the Ebbe Anticline southwards, prominent reflections can be correlated with important thrust faults known from the surface, such as the Ebbe-, Siegen-, Müsen- and Sackpfeife- Thrusts, as well as further important thrust faults in the Lahn- and Dill Synclines. The basal thrust of the extremely thin-skinned Giessen Nappe is only recognizable for a very short distance.At depth, the thrusts flatten out in a relatively transparent zone between 3–5 s TWT, with strongly reflective bands at its bottom and top. The transparent zone might correlate with a high-conductivity layer detected in a magnetotelluric survey; it represents either graphitic metapelites or a zone with an interconnected, brine-filled pore space. The seismic record relates either to lithological differences, or to rheological boundaries.The lower crust in the north is characterized by a relatively transparent zone, which wedges out towards south under the northern margin of the Siegen Anticline. Comparisons with a similar feature in the ECORS profile »Nord de la France« suggest that the transparent zones in both sections correspond to a pre-Palaeozoic basement, such as it underlies the Brabant Massif. Further south, the lower crust is increasingly reflective.The curvilinear, thrust-related reflections are cut by a conjugate set of much weaker, N- and S-dipping reflectors indicating a later deformation with pure shear. Displacement of some marker reflections suggests late- or post-Variscan compression.In an alternative interpretation, these straight and weak reflections represent the only thrust faults, while the curvilinear elements might relate to bedding.A southward rise of the Moho from approx. 11 to 8.5 s TWT is probably due to Tertiary rifting.

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Zusammenfassung Das reflexionsseismische Profil DEKORP 2-N stellt einen fast vollständigen Querschnitt durch das Rhenohercynikum dar.Der nördliche Teil des Profiles 2-N sowie ein SW/NE-verlaufender Abzweig (2-N-Q) zeigen die Transgression der Münsterländer Kreide und das unterlagernde gefaltete Paläozoikum. Schichtgebundene Reflektoren (flözführendes Karbon, devonischer Massenkalk) bilden das Ausklingen der variscischen Faltung nach NW detailliert ab.In den devonischen und vordevonischen Sedimenten des rechtsrheinischen Schiefergebirges erzeugt die Schichtung nur relativ schwache, kurze und unregelmäßige Reflexionen. Diese werden von stärkeren, südfallenden Reflektoren abgeschnitten, die aufgrund ihrer listrischen Krümmung und flat/ramp-Geometrie wahrscheinlich als Überschiebungen zu interpretieren sind. Im Nordteil des Schiefergebirges sind diese Überschiebungen offenbar blind, werden also nahe der Oberfläche durch Faltung kompensiert. Im Ebbe-Sattel und weiter südlich lassen sich die meisten der starken, südfallenden Reflektoren zweifelsfrei mit bekannten Großüberschiebungen korrelieren (Ebbe-, Siegen-, Müsen-, Sackpfeife-Ü, sowie weitere Überschiebungen in der Lahn- u. Dill-Mulde). Die Basisüberschiebung der Giessen-Decke wird nur teilweise abgebildet.Zur Tiefe hin zeigen die Überschiebungen ein zunehmend flacheres Einfallen, und verschwinden in einer relativ transparenten Zone zwischen 3 und 5 s TWT, die im Hangenden und Liegenden durch dünne, stark reflektive Zonen begrenzt ist. Diese transparente Zone entspricht möglicherweise einer Zone hoher integrierter Leitfähigkeit, die in einem begleitenden magnetotellurischen Experiment nachgewiesen worden ist; es handelt sich entweder um einen Graphit-führenden Phyllit-Horizont oder eine mächtigere permeable Zone mit Elektrolyt-gefülltem Porenraum. Die hochreflektiven Bänder über und unter der transparenten Zone entsprechen entweder lithologischen Kontrasten oder rheologischen Grenzen, die vermutlich von einer scherenden Verformung überprägt worden sind.Die Unterkruste im N-Teil des Profiles enthält einen relativ transparenten Bereich, der nach Süden hin unter dem Nordteil des Siegener Sattels keilförmig ausläuft. Ein ähnliches Bild zeigt der Nordteil des ECORS-Profiles »Nord de la France«. Die transparenten Bereiche beider Profile entsprechen wahrscheinlich einem prä-paläozoischen kristallinen Basement, das das Brabanter Massif unterlagert und sich rechtsrheinisch fortsetzt. Südlich des transparenten Keiles wird die Unterkruste zunehmend reflexionsreicher. Die listrisch gekrümmten, an Überschiebungen gebundenen Reflektoren werden von einem konjugierten System schwächerer, N- u. S-fallender Reflektoren abgeschnitten, die auf eine jüngere, bruchhafte Verformung durch reine Scherung hindeuten. Der Versatz einiger älterer Reflektoren deutet auf spät- oder postvariscische Kompression hin.In einer alternativen Interpretation werden nur diese jüngeren Reflektoren als Überschiebungen gedeutet; die älteren, gekrümmten Elemente müßten dann primären lithologischen Grenzen entsprechen.Die Moho steigt von ca. 11 s TWT im N auf 8.5 s TWT unter dem Taunus an. Die Krustenverdünnung im Süden geht wahrscheinlich auf Dehnung im Tertiär zurück.

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Résumé Le profil sismique par réflexion DEKORP-2-N représente une transversale quasiment complète à travers la zone rhénohercynienne. La partie septentrionale du DEKORP-2-N ainsi qu'une branche de direction SW-NE (2-N-Q) mettent en évidence la transgression du Crétacé du Münsterland sur le Paléozoïque sous-jacent plissé. Des réflecteurs liés à la stratification (à savoir: le Houiller et les calcaires de plate-forme dévoniens) illustrent de façon détaillée la diminution vers le nord de l'intensité du plissement varisque.Dans les sédiments dévoniens et pré-dévoniens du Massif Rhénan à l'est du Rhin, la stratification ne fournit que que des réflexions relativement faibles, courtes et irrégulières. Elles sont tronquées par des réflecteurs plus intenses, à pendage sud qui, en raison de leur courbure listrique et de leur géométrie en «flat/ramp», doivent être interprétés comme des chevauchements. Dans la partie septentrionale du Massif, ces chevauchements sont apparemment aveugles, c'est-à-dire qu'ils sont compensés, près de la surface, par le plissement. Dans l'anticlinal d'Ebbe, ainsi que plus au sud, la plupart des réflecteurs intenses à plongement sud peuvent être corrélés avec des chevauchements majeurs connus, tels ceux de Ebbe, Siegen, Müsen, Sackpfeife et d'autres encore dans les synclinaux de la Lahn et de la Dill. Le chevauchement basai de la nappe de Giessen n'est que partiellement représenté.Les chevauchements deviennent de plus en plus plats en profondeur pour disparaître dans une zone relativement transparente qui se situe entre 3–5 sec TWT. Celle-ci est prise en sandwich par des zones minces à forte réflectivité. La zone transparente correspond probablement à une zone de conductivité intégrée élevée dont l'existence a par ailleurs été démontrée dans un essai magnétotellurique mené parallèlement. Il s'agit soit d'un horizon phyllitique graphiteux, soit d'une zone perméable plus épaisse dont les pores sont remplis d'électrolyte. Les bandes à haute réflectivité au-dessus et en-dessous de la zone transparente correspondent soit à des contrastes lithologiques, soit à des limites rhéologiques probablement accentuées par la déformation cisaillante.La croûte inférieure dans la partie septentrionale du profil comporte un domaine relativement transparent qui s'amincit vers le S et se termine, en dessous de la partie nord de l'anticlinal de Siegen, en forme de coin. La partie nord du profil ECORS «Nord de la France» montre une image semblable.Les domaines transparents des deux profils correspondent vraisemblablement à un soubassement cristallin pré-paléozoïque qui est sousjacent au Paléozoïque du Massif du Brabant et se prolonge vers l'est au-delà du Rhin. Au sud du coin transparent, la réflectivité de la croûte inférieure va en augmentant. Les réflecteurs listriques liés à des chevauchements sont recoupés par un système conjugué de réflecteurs plus faibles à plongement nord et sud qui indiquent des failles plus récentes. Le déplacement de quelques réflecteurs plus anciens suggère l'effet d'une compression tardiou post-varisque.Dans une interprétation alternative, seuls ces réflecteurs plus récents sont considérés comme correspondant à des chevauchements. Dans ce cas, les éléments courbes plus anciens devraient représenter des limites lithologiques primaires.Le Moho s'élève à partir de 11 sec TWT environ au nord jusqu'à 8.5 sec TWT en-dessous du Taunus. L'amincissement crustal au sud résulterait du régime de distension survenu au Tertiaire.

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DEKORP 2 Nord. x-t- ray-tracing'a. 6,0 6,6 /, — 7,0 8,2 /. 6,25 /. 28 30 . , .

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Abbreviations MORB Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt - TWT two-way travel time, seconds (s) - CMP common mid-point - VP vibration point - SNR signal to noise ratio     

Upper limits to trace constituents in Jupiter's atmosphere from an analysis of its 5-μm spectrum

A high-resolution (0.6 cm^?1) spectrum of Jupiter at 5 μm recorded at the Kuiper Airborne Observatory is used to determine upper limits to the column density of 19 molecules. The upper limits to the mixing ratios of SiH₄, H₂S, HCN, and simple hydrocarbons are discussed with respect to current models of Jupiter's atmosphere. These upper limits are compared to expectations based upon the solar abundance of the elements. This analysis permits upper limit measurements (SiH₄), or actual detections (GeH₄), of molecules with mixing ratios with hydrogen as low as 10^?9. In future observations at 5 μm the sensitivity of remote spectroscopic analyses should permit the study of constituents with mixing ratios as low as 10^?10, which would include the hydrides of such elements as Sn and As as well as numerous organic molecules.     

Streams in the Harz National Parks (Germany) — a hydrochemical and hydrobiological evaluation

Between 1995 and 2001, 16 measuring points at small and medium sized brooks in the Harz National Parks were sampled. The samples have been evaluated by means of hydrochemistry and macroinvertebrate biology. Although nearly all streams are largely uncontaminated by oxygen-consuming substances, they are settled only by a small number of macroinvertebrate species. There is a clear correlation between this number and pH. The reduction in species number with decrease of pH is mainly caused by the absence of most Ephemeroptera, some Coleoptera and Trichoptera. Comparing biological evaluation of acidity with physico-chemical measurements, a unacceptable underestimation was found. The reason could be that different sensitivities to acidification between regional populations seem to exist.

Despite of the low species number, there is a very specific macroinvertebrate fauna that emphasizes the conservation value of the Harz National Parks.